Italy Pope

Pope Leo XIV speaks as he attends the "Canticle of Peace" prayer and fraternity meeting at Borgo Laudato Si' in Castel Gandolfo, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of Rome, Italy, Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

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A giddy Patti Smith meets fellow Chicago legend, Pope Leo XIV, and says "Hi"

A giddy Patti Smith meets fellow Chicago legend, Pope Leo XIV, and says "Hi"

Rock legend Patti Smith has met with Pope Leo XIV. She was giddy and almost at a loss for words when she greeted her fellow Chicagoan. She managed a soft “Hi” as she sat down across from him at his desk in the Apostolic Palace. Smith has become an increasingly visible presence at the Vatican thanks to her friendship with the undersecretary in the Vatican’s culture ministry. She has said that while she is not Catholic, she was drawn in particular to Pope Francis and his “gentle, open, and steadfast sense of humanity.”